gramE,

There's something very positive/hopeful here. Panic attacks are usually irrational, yet you've handled everything very rationally and intelligently, from staving off the first attacks, to recognizing the onset (and what it was), to pulling over, to acknowledging the wisdom of not driving (at the moment), to analyzing and talking about it. A lot of people just completely freak out, but it sounds to me like you didn't actually panic at all.

Often, doctors just treat the symptoms (prescribe some pills) because they're not trained to go further, and it's the easy temporary fix until they refer you to a counselor. It sounds like you're also taking the next logical step and trying to figure out if it's chemical (the disease or brain chemistry) or psychological.

You're doing pretty darn good. Hang in there; I think you'll beat this part.

Doc